


Amoris

by Revasnaslan



Series: Raised Amongst the Stars AU [16]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Dads of Marmora (Voltron), Fluff, Galrentines 2k18, Gen, Kid Keith (Voltron), M/M, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-14
Updated: 2018-02-14
Packaged: 2019-03-17 16:01:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13662393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Revasnaslan/pseuds/Revasnaslan
Summary: Gift-giving isn't really Thace's forte, but since Keith asked for help making a gift for Regris, then by the stars, he's going to help.





	Amoris

**Author's Note:**

  * For [rumpledvelvet](https://archiveofourown.org/users/rumpledvelvet/gifts).



> This was written for the [Galrentines Exchange](https://galrentines-exchange.tumblr.com/) over on tumblr.
> 
> Happy Valentine's Day Sol!! o3o I hope you like this!! <3 <3

Thace had been keeping an eye on the boys for most of the afternoon since he had the day off. In an attempt to keep them occupied, he had brought them to the gardens that were hidden deeper within the base. A wide assortment of flowering trees and bushes were grown there, for the express purpose of allowing Blades to escape from the surgically clean feeling that came with the rest of the base. Several of the trees produced fruit, although it was rare to see Blades in search of a quick snack.

Today, the only visitors were Thace and his two charges. Keith was was sitting comfortably in his lap, stringing flowers together into the shape of a crown, like Ulaz had taught him. Regris, meanwhile, was fetching more flowers from around the garden. He had tried climbing in the trees before, in search of the sweet fruit that hung from the branches, tossing down morsels for Keith. As Keith lacked claws, he wasn’t as adept at climbing as other clubs.

“I got more!” Regris said as he hurried back over with what appeared to be losir blossoms. They had off-white petals that didn’t really match too well with the other flowers that he had already brought back, but Keith didn’t seem to care. Instead, he eagerly reached out to grab for them and begin stringing them together. However, as soon as Regris darted off and looked as if he were going to climb a nearby tree to go after some polan flowers, Keith stilled entirely and let out a soft sigh.

Thace’s ears flicked as he tilted his head to the side. “Kitling?” he asked. “Is something wrong?”

Keith nodded quickly, but judging by the way he was wringing his hands in his lap, he wasn’t fine.

“Keith…” Thace said worriedly. “What is it?”

“Um… I wanted to give Regris something for Amoris,” Keith said softly, speaking just above a whisper in case Regris came darting back over. “But I don’t know what…”

Amoris was a day for celebrating those you cared about and showing appreciation for them. It was generally for friends and loved ones to exchange gifts, and cubs frequently participated and exchanged gifts as well. Upon hearing Keith’s reasoning for his sudden shift in mood, Thace let out a faint purr as his ears twitched in amusement. Keith didn’t seem to realize that his little crush on Regris was rather obvious, but Thace wasn’t going to push him to admit anything. And if Keith wanted to make something for his best friend, then Thace was more than happy to help out where he could, even if he was currently juggling getting a gift for Ulaz as well.

“Do you have any ideas about what you want to give him?” Thace asked, ears twitching curiously.

Keith shook his head, but he perked up a moment later, and looked over his shoulder, brows set in determination. “You’re really good at gifts, Thay!”

Thace wasn’t sure if that was… _entirely_ accurate, considering his gift giving ability consisted of burning food and handmaking sweaters that he sometimes made too small—even if they were very soft and warm. But he liked to believe that it was the thought that counted.

“What are you giving Laz?” Keith continued, tilting his head to the side.

“A sweater…” Thace said. He had been working on it for the last rotation, a very slow going project because he could only work on it when Ulaz was on shift or sleeping. He had heard Ulaz complaining about how chilly the base had been recently—as Ulaz had been raised on a desert planet, and lacked much of an undercoat, unlike quite a few other Blades had, Thace made him sweaters as gifts more often than not. “But it’s a _secret_ , alright, kitling?” he added teasingly, even though he doubted that Ulaz would be surprised at all.

“Thace!” Regris called from the other side of the gardens, hanging precariously from a branch by his tail, too far from the ground to jump down. He wasn’t really in any danger, though. Thace had seen him fall from higher places than that and walk it off.

Thace heaved a sigh as he shifted Keith off of his lap and went to go fetch the cub out of the branches before he fell and hurt himself. After Regris was lowered down to the ground, the cub darted off and handed Keith some deep purple polan flowers, as well as some light blue flowers that Thace recognized as Weblum’s Tongue. Then, as Keith asked for them to weave into the crown, Regris plopped down in the grass beside Keith and passed him flowers.

“Done!” Keith said happily, before holding it out for Regris to take. “I made it for you!”

Regris’s tail tip twitched in surprise—or perhaps embarrassment—before he ducked his head and let Keith put the flower crown there.

—

“So, did you think about what you wanted to give Regris?” Thace asked later, as he and Keith were making their way back to their room. Keith had reached up to hold onto Thace’s hand.

Keith nodded. “Candy!” he said insistently. “Because candy is the _best_!”

Thace’s ears twitched in amusement as he tried to stifle a snort. “You know, the point of Amoris is to show your appreciation for the person,” he pointed out. “Don’t you think you should give Regris something that he’d actually enjoy? Not something _you_ enjoy?”

“But Regris and I share it sometimes,” Keith said, pouting. Then, he hummed softly, looking thoughtful—perhaps if he had mobile ears they would’ve been twitching. “Um… he likes hydriiks a lot…” he continued, grimacing as he said the name of the fruit. Hydriiks were far too sour for Keith’s tastes… and Thace’s, if he were being honest. How a cub could possibly stand the fruit was beyond him, but Thace wasn’t going to fault Regris for it.

“Well, how about we make some hydriik candies for him, then?” Thace suggested, tilting his head to the side with a smile.

Keith looked about as unimpressed as a six year old was capable of being. “You _stink_ at cooking,” he said, pouting. When Thace frowned and opened his mouth to argue, Keith cut him off. “I’ve seen you burn stuff before!”

“I don’t need your sass, kitling,” Thace said with a mock frown, and Keith giggled and tried to muffle it behind his hand. Shaking his head, Thace ruffled the cub’s headfur as they continued walking along. “Just wait and see,” Thace added. “I’m sure we can figure out something that Regris will enjoy.”

They ended up borrowing a portable stovetop from the kitchens—well, they “borrowed” it out from under the nose of Quartermaster Rei’an, who had been distracted by taking stock of the food reserves. The stovetop sat on Thace’s desk, warming up so they could make a hydriik jam, and then try to make some kind of candy out of that. The room quickly become filled with the overwhelming stench of hydriik, and Thace had to withhold a gag at the smell. Keith seemed to be able to ignore it, distracted as he played with Thace’s datapad while sitting in his lap. Thace had asked him at one point what he was watching, even though he recognized the cub show that Keith loved so much. It was one that Thace didn’t really understand, but he and Ulaz frequently made time to watch it with Keith and listen to him ramble on about it. Apparently, that was supposed to be good for his development.

“Can you make me a sweater too, Thay?” Keith asked, shifting a little bit as Thace rested his chin on top of the cub’s head.

Thace’s gaze didn’t stray from his knitting. “Of course, kitling,” Thace said. “But it’ll have to wait until after I’m done with Laz’s.” He’d also need to get some more yarn too, as he was using the last of his supply on making this one for Ulaz.

“Until you’re done with what of mine?”

At the sound of Ulaz’s voice, Thace nearly jumped out of his fur. What was Ulaz doing back so early? He wasn’t supposed to get off shift for another two vargas!

“Laz!” Keith said excitedly, tumbling out of Thace’s lap. The datapad was forgotten for the time being as Keith hurried over to be scooped up so that he and Ulaz could rub cheeks. As Ulaz began purring softly, Keith visibly perked up and quickly added, “Oh! You have to cover your eyes, Laz!”

Ulaz chuckled softly. “And why’s that?”

“Thay’s making your gift, you can’t see!” Keith said insistently.

When Thace looked over at them again, he was amused to find that Ulaz had indeed covered his eyes with one hand, while holding Keith with his other arm. Quickly, Thace stashed the present in the drawer on his desk before he crossed the room to greet his bondmate.

“You’re back early,” Thace commented.

“Kellun let me have a short break to come and check on you,” Ulaz said as he peeked out from between his fingers. “Can I look now?”

“Yes, your gift is safely stashed,” Thace said, as Ulaz dipped his head, bumping their foreheads together. Thace smiled as they nuzzled, noses brushing. “And no going to look for it,” he added, as a half-hearted warning.

“Now, who are you and what have you done with my bondmate?” Ulaz asked, as he leaned back, although he didn’t drift too far. “It smells like hydriiks in here. You hate hydriiks.”

“We’re making jam!” Keith explained. “Cause I wanted to make something for Regris.”

Ulaz’s ears twitched in amusement. “Ah… I see…”

“Is it almost done, Thay?” Keith asked before he wiggled out of Ulaz’s grasp and slid back down to the floor.

“No, but I’ll call you when it’s time to fill the molds,” Thace assured him. That seemed to be enough for Keith, as he went to retrieve Thace’s datapad and then ran off to continue watching his show on the bed. After seeing Keith settled in and occupied, Thace returned to the pot and looked into it, trying to gauge if it was ready.

“He seems really excited about this,” Ulaz commented, lightly draping his arms around Thace’s neck and resting his chin on top of Thace’s head.

“Yes, I think it’s sweet,” Thace agreed, unable to contain his smile. “He was so adamant about wanting to make Regris a gift… the hydriik candy was my idea, though.”

“You do have good gift ideas, just don’t burn it,” Ulaz said, easily dodging the playful swat that Thace aimed at his shoulder. Then, he dipped his head to lightly nuzzle his nose against Thace’s temple. “Hypothetically speaking, I think I’m going to enjoy my gift.”

Thace’s ears twitched in amusement as he rolled his eyes—he had already known that Ulaz wasn’t going to be that surprised. “Well, _hypothetically_ , do you like the color?”

“Mm…” Ulaz hummed, and when he next spoke, his voice took on a teasing undertone. “You’re not going to ask me about yours? I can give you a hint, it’s only fair…”

“I’ll love whatever you get me, I’m sure,” Thace said, before lightly nudging Ulaz in the ribs with his elbow. “Now get off of me, I’m trying to work.”

Ulaz snorted, pressing his nose against Thace’s temple one last time. “Alright… I’ll go bother Keith instead,” he sighed. “Maybe I will finally understand what Belka the Big Blue Yupper is about, since he enjoys it so much.”

—

The morning of Amoris, Keith was _very_ excited. It was to the point where he couldn’t even sit still while Thace was trying to fix his headfur before they went down to the commissary to exchange gifts. Keith had been insisting they didn’t have time because Regris was going to be waiting for them. Ulaz had seemed terribly amused by it all, ears twitching as he tried to hide his smile. The three gifts—one for Ulaz, one for Thace, and one for Regris—were sitting on Thace’s desk, neatly wrapped and ready for opening. However, first, they had to go and join in the festivities. After Thace grabbed his gift for Ulaz, and handed Keith his gift for Regris, they headed out. Keith was practically bouncing with excitement as he hurried down the hall, and as soon as they arrived, he began looking for Regris. He spotted his friend almost immediately and darted across the commissary, clambering up onto the seat beside Regris.

Without waiting, Keith held out the gift he had been carrying. Regris seemed surprised, ears twitching against the sides of his head—almost as if he hadn’t thought that Keith would think of giving him one. However, he eagerly accepted the parcel, and tore through the multicolored paper that Thace had helped Keith wrap the present with the previous night. The tin that held the hydriik candies was much more plain than its wrappings, but when Regris pried the top off, his entire expression lit up.

“Hydriiks!” he said excitedly, before turning to look at his father, Roshar. “Papa, look! Keith got me hydriik candy.”

Roshar’s fluffy ears twitched as he was addressed, but when he looked away from his meal, he smiled at his cub. “Yes, they look very good. Did you thank him, kitling?”

As soon as he had been reminded of that, Regris did thank Keith, before eagerly popping one of the candies into his mouth. A moment later, he let out a pleased hiss, forked tongue flicking out of his mouth and tail tip twitching back and forth happily. Then, he held out the tin for Keith. “Do you want one too?” he asked.

Much to Thace’s surprise, Keith reached out and took one—and he didn’t complain, even though his face screwed up at the sourness.

Roshar glanced in Thace and Ulaz’s direction, before motioning for them to go. “I can keep an eye on them,” he said. “You two should go and exchange gifts.”

As Thace thanked him, Ulaz slipped his hand into Thace’s, lacing their fingers together as he led Thace out into the hallway. Given the time of day, and the festivities taking place inside of the commissary, it was deserted, with no other Blade in sight. Without waiting, Thace held out his gift—it felt wrong to make Ulaz wait for something he already knew was coming. Eagerly, Ulaz handed over the gift that he had gotten Thace, swapping what they were holding.

When Ulaz opened the present, his ears actually flicked in surprise. “I only saw the color before, not the design,” he explained, noticing Thace’s confused expression. He seemed to be marveling at the light lavender swirls over top of a darker purple base.

Thace’s ears rested easily against the sides of his head as he smiled. “Do you like the material?” he asked, tilting his head. “I got some new yarn the last time I went to a shopping station… it’s much softer than the last one I made you.” The salesperson who had sold him the yarn had also said that it should retain heat better, which was the main reason Thace had bought it in the first place. If Ulaz wasn’t wearing it, Thace thought he might steal it on occasion, if the base was particularly chilly on day.

“It’s perfect,” Ulaz said, leaning down to bump their foreheads together. “Thank you, my love…” Then, his ears perked and he looked at Thace expectantly. “Now, open yours.”

Thace let out a soft, amused hum, before looking down at the present in his hands. It was small, rectangular, wrapped in the same paper that Thace’s gift and Keith’s had been wrapped in. As Thace shifted it in his hand to start tearing through the paper, he could hear the contents shifting around inside. While he had suspected baked goods, he was surprised to find fruit tarts. He had been so distracted making sure that Keith’s gift was perfect that he hadn’t really been paying attention to what Ulaz was doing the last couple of quintants. For his part, Ulaz hadn’t complained, which was likely because it had worked out in his favor.

Then, Thace caught a whiff of a familiar scent.

“Wait… are these…?” Thace trailed off as he carefully plucked out of the tarts out of the tin before taking an experimental bite. The flavor was as familiar as the smell, though that alone was reminding him of his cubhood. “Is this my father’s recipe?” he asked, ears alert as he looked up at Ulaz. He hadn’t seen his father in a while, and it had been longer still since he had tasted his father’s fruit tart recipe. Normally, Keth had used polan fruit since that was Thace’s favorite, but it seemed that in absence of having polan fruit on base, Ulaz had chosen a different one. Stirberries, perhaps? It was something very sweet, which was very much appreciated.

Ulaz nodded, smiling. “I messaged him for the recipe. He agreed as long as it was going to be used on gifts for you and Keith.” Then, his smile faltered a little bit, and his ears gave a nervous twitch. “Do you like them?”

“Of course I like them!” Thace said before happily finishing off the one in his hand. A happy purr rose in the back of his throat. However, a moment later, his expression turned serious. “You’re going to make these for me again.”

“Only if you keep making me sweaters every year,” Ulaz said with a soft chuckle.

“Deal,” Thace said, before tugging Ulaz down for another nuzzle.

**Author's Note:**

> tumblr: [revasnaslan](http://revasnaslan.tumblr.com/)  
> beta'd by: [akumeoi](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Akumeoi/pseuds/Akumeoi)


End file.
